Something Pretty
by mannequin doll
Summary: AU. Blair, Nate and Chuck have all been best friends forever. This triangle is messy enough – Blair has always harbored feelings for Nate, and Chuck has always loved Blair. Things get messier when Serena enters the picture in their junior year.
1. Prologue

**Title: **Something Pretty_  
_**Rating: **PG-13  
**Characters/Pairings**: Chuck/Blair, Blair/Nate, Serena/Nate, mentions of other couples  
**Summary: **Alternate Universe. Blair, Nate and Chuck have all been best friends forever. This triangle is messy enough – Blair has always harbored feelings for Nate, and Chuck has always loved Blair. Things get messier when Serena enters the picture in their junior year.  
**Author's Notes**: It's been a long time since I started a multi-chapter fic. Please let me know what you think about the idea! All feedback is appreciated. The first chapter will be up soon.

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**PROLOGUE**

For as long as Chuck Bass could remember, Blair Waldorf had loved Nate Archibald. For as long as Chuck Bass could remember, Nate Archibald always had eyes for someone else. At one time, it was Jenny Humphrey, the lowly freshman that had taken his breath away when she turned fourteen, with her white-blonde hair and heavy eyeliner. Another time, it was a random socialite he had met at a coffee shop.

For as long as Chuck Bass could remember, he, Blair and Nate had all been best friends. It was like a cycle that never ended; they had met when they were young, immediately been pushed together by their notorious parents, and it had gone from there.

For as long as they had been friends, Chuck Bass had loved Blair Waldorf. For as long as they had been friends, Blair Waldorf had loved his best friend.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**: Thanks so much for your reviews, everyone! Here is the first chapter, hope you like it! There's a lot of drama to come! Please review.

"Chuck, wait up." Nate Archibald stopped in his footsteps as they were about to enter St. Jude's School for Boys. It was the first day of their junior year, and most of their classmates had walked into the building.

Chuck Bass sighed, but he turned around to see where his best friend was staring. Across the way at Constance Billard stood a tall, statuesque blonde, looking utterly lost as she looked around, holding a brochure and map.

"I think she's new here," Nate stated, smiling slightly when he saw the girl start walking over to them. He smiled and nodded at her.

Chuck rolled his eyes at his friend's awestruck expression as the girl headed toward them. She stopped in front of them, smiling brightly. "Hi, I'm Serena van der Woodsen. I just moved here from California. Do you guys mind helping me find my first class?" she grinned.

When Nate said nothing and simply stared, Chuck stepped in, "Chuck Bass. Uh, you go over _there_," he said pointedly, gesturing to the girls' school across the way.

"Yeah, I know, but everyone there seems so uptight," Serena giggled. They all looked toward the numerous groups of girls, phones in hand, standing in cliques. The bell had yet to ring. "Who are you?" she asked, pointing her attention to Nate.

Nate looked at her, wide-eyed as his sparkling blue eyes looked her over. The short plaid skirt showcased her long tan legs and her blonde hair fell over her shoulders like that of someone in a commercial. Hell, she was hotter than most models. "Nate," was all he said before smiling shyly.

Chuck tapped his foot impatiently, seeing that Nate wasn't about to make any progress with this Serena girl. "Well, we really can't help you, seeing as we have to get to class," he drawled. Nate scoffed. _Since when did Chuck Bass care about getting to class on time?_ "But we have a friend who might," he told her, gesturing to the person heading up the steps behind her.

Serena turned around to see a petite brunette walking up the steps, a cool smile upon her face. "Hey Blair," Chuck called out with a smirk. "This is Serena."

Blair looked her over, smirking slightly, "Hello. I see you've gotten yourself acquainted with these losers," she said, her tone not friendly but not rude either.

Serena smiled gratefully. "Yeah. So, I have a question on how to get to my first class…" she trailed off.

"Cool, I'll show you how to get there," Blair smiled. "Later Charles," she said indignantly, hugging the brown-haired boy. After, she looked at Nate, who still had stayed mostly silent throughout the entire encounter. "Bye Nate," she said softly, placing a delicate kiss on his cheek before walking with Serena to Constance.

"Damn, Nathaniel, you are such a girl," Chuck shook his head before walking into the school, this time not waiting for his friend.

_Spotted: Gorgeous new girl, goes by S. Has already charmed her way into N's heart, and with those looks, is sure to rival B's throne. Wonder what C thinks of all this._

::

At lunch, Blair found herself at Starbucks with Chuck and Nate. As they sat down at a small table, Chuck couldn't help but grin. "So tell us about new girl. She's pretty hot," he said lazily, nudging Nate in the ribs. "Nathaniel sure seems to think so." Nate rolled his eyes.

Blair scoffed. "Are you kidding? The girl is an annoying bitch. She's in almost all of my classes," she complained.

Chuck laughed loudly, knowing how Blair got when anyone remotely pretty entered her social arena. "Don't worry, Blair, I'm sure she's not looking to steal your queenly position," he said, poking fun at the overrated school hierarchy.

Just then, the door swung open to reveal the flustered blonde. She saw Blair sitting down and waved. "Hi, B!" she smiled, sitting down next to her at the table for four. At the sound of her nickname, Blair looked at her blankly. "I got it from Gossip Girl. She calls you B," Serena explained.

Chuck burst out laughing, but Blair's deathly glare shut him up. Instead, he turned to Serena. "So, we meet again, blondie."

Serena smiled in recognition as she excitedly turned to Blair. "There are sooo many cute guys at St. Jude's. I saw them on my way here. You should've told me!" she teased.

Blair forced herself to grin. "Must've slipped my mind," she said tightly. Switching the subject, she said, "So how do you like Constance?"

Serena's blue eyes lit up. "It's amazing. Your friends are so nice," she exclaimed.

Chuck raised his eyebrows and looked at Blair. "Has anyone ever referred to me as nice before?" he chuckled.

"I mean Kati and Isabel, the girls you introduced me to before," Serena corrected herself. At this, Chuck had to stifle his laughter again.

"Are you kidding? They're just miniature clones of Blair," he informed her. "Not that Blair isn't nice." He smirked.

"Hilarious, Bass," Blair said dryly, tugging at the end of his trademark scarf. "Nate, why are you being so quiet?" she asked curiously, noting her friend's quiet demeanor.

Nate shook himself out of his reverie, receiving a knowing glance from Chuck as he stared at the two girls. "Just tired," he smiled.

"Mind if I call you Natie?" Serena asked innocently, flipping her long golden hair behind her shoulders. Blair scrunched her nose up in disgust, stifling a laugh when she caught Chuck mockingly mouth, "Natie!" across the table.

Nate, however, simply grinned widely. "Sure." Pausing for a moment, he looked at her in wonderment. "Wait, did you say your last name was van der Woodsen before?"

Serena nodded eagerly. "Yeah, why?"

"Nate Archibald. Ring a bell?" he asked, leaving Chuck and Blair confused.

"Oh! Archibald! My dad is merging a business deal with yours, right?" Serena recalled. "Yeah, and they're having that dinner tonight for both families, so I guess I'll see you there. It's at your house, right?" Nate nodded, glad to have something in common with her.

Blair chose to interrupt. "Dinner? You never said anything," she pouted, glaring at him and ignoring Serena's apologetic stare.

Serena shook her head. "I'm sorry, Blair, I actually forgot until Natie here reminded me." She seemed genuinely sorry for not telling Blair.

Blair regarded her with icy eyes. "I was talking to Nate," she said coolly. Serena averted her eyes in embarrassment.

Nate shrugged. "It didn't really cross my mind until now. It doesn't matter. It's just between the Archibalds and van der Woodsens," he told her, realizing that Blair clearly wanted a response from him.

Chuck watched the interaction with interest. "It's fine, Waldorf," he rolled his eyes. "I'll take you out to sushi," he offered.

Blair smiled in satisfaction. "Thanks, Bass." She glared at Nate, who was still staring lovingly at Serena. Pulling out her enV and looking at the time, she pulled Serena away from the table.

"Well, we should get going. Class is going to start back up soon and we can't afford to be late," she smiled, walking away with Serena.

Once they were outside, Serena asked, "Do you like Nate?"

Blair shook her raven haired head furiously. "No way. He's my best friend. I'm just watching out for you, _S_. He goes from girl to girl, and I wouldn't want _you _to get hurt," she lied. The truth? Blair had been in love with him since she met him.

Serena smiled happily. "Oh, good. 'Cause he's really cute, and I think he likes me," she looked at Blair for confirmation.

Blair felt her stomach churn as she smiled meekly. "Definitely. But I should warn you," she continued, glancing around for any distraction. Spotting a short blonde walking in the street, Blair smiled to herself wickedly. "See that girl?" she said, pointing to her.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, what about her?"

"That's Nate's ex. She's just a freshman. See what I mean? He'll do anything with a skirt on," Blair said bitterly. "Hey, Jenny!" she called out.

Jenny Humphrey spun around to see Blair Waldorf and a new girl heading towards her. Smiling excitedly, Jenny bounced up to them. "Hi, Blair! We haven't hung out in ages!"

"I know," Blair cooed. "This is Serena. She's Nate's new girlfriend," she told the girl.

Serena shook her head frantically. "No, I'm not," she assured Jenny, who looked a little put off.

Jenny simply shrugged. "Whatever. I'm so over that sleazebag," she laughed.

"Wait, why?" Serena asked. Blair smirked to herself as Jenny began telling the sordid story of how Nate had cheated on her with a leggy blonde cheerleader a month after they started dating.

But Blair knew Nate; Nate wasn't a cheater. It was really her and Chuck who had started the rumor in the first place. Serena's expression softened. "Oh, that has to suck," she said sympathetically. "What a jerk."

Jenny gave her a small genuine smile. "But who knows? Maybe things will be different for you two," she offered.

Blair scoffed. "Don't bet on it."

"Well, I have to go," Jenny said, slipping on her gloves. "My brother is waiting for me. We're going home early today because our mom is back in town," she said excitedly.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, the disappearing mother who left you," she said kindly, but her words said otherwise. Ignoring Serena's gasp, Blair continued, "Where is Daniel, anyway?" she smirked.

"Over there," Jenny said, pointing across the street where a tall, lanky boy stood, waiting for his sister.

"He's cute," Serena commented, smiling when he waved nervously at them.

Blair raised her eyebrows. What a slut. "Um, Dan Humphrey is not one you want to associate with if you want to be anywhere in this world, Serena," she informed her. "No offense, Jen," she said sweetly, effectively dismissing the younger girl.

"That really wasn't nice, Blair," Serena reminded her, watching as Jenny hugged her brother across the street.

Blair flicked her wrist carelessly. "Anyway, stay away from Dan. He's…disgusting," she said pointedly. "Your social life would be ruined."

Just then, Blair got a sudden thought. Would it really be so bad? "Actually, if you like him, you should go for him," she suggested, adjusting the bow on her red headband.

Serena shrugged it off. "Forget it. Nate's a lot cuter," she giggled as they continued walking back to school.

Blair groaned. This was going to be a long year.


End file.
